


Snapshots

by egg_rolls



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-31
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2019-03-11 16:45:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13528416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/egg_rolls/pseuds/egg_rolls
Summary: Short scenes of a happy AmberPrice AU. Just two girls in love.





	Snapshots

**April 2010**

“Hi.”

Chloe Price, chemistry book tucked under her arm, closed her locker to reveal a beautiful blonde with hazel eyes. She glanced to her left, and then to her right, but found no other student that the pretty girl could have been speaking to.

“Uh, hi?” she greeted back, and the girl’s answering smile lit up the entire hallway.

“Rachel Amber,” the girl said, motioning at herself with an elegant wave of her hand. “I’m new, just moved here. Moved back, actually, born and raised in Long Beach.”

“Oh, uh,” Chloe mumbled, again looking around to see if the pretty girl was talking to someone else. “Welcome back, I guess?” she said, rubbing the back of her neck. “Chloe Price,” she blurted out when the pretty girl named Rachel Amber continued to stare and smile at her. “Do you need to know where the bathroom is or something?”

“No,” Rachel said, still smiling, still staring. “Chem’s my next class, too. Let’s go.”

“Huh?” Chloe asked, but with a wink and a flip of her hair, Rachel was on her way, and Chloe nearly tripped on herself following her.

* * *

“So, where were you in between?” Chloe found herself asking Rachel later that day, while they were having lunch.

“Some little town in Oregon, you’ve probably never heard of it,” Rachel said, seeming to lose interest in her food. “Arcadia Bay, where assholes abound.”

Chloe nearly choked on the bite she just took.

“Arcadia Bay? No shit? That’s where I’m from!”

Rachel blinked.

“No shit?”

“No shit!” Chloe exclaimed, her enthusiastic swearing startling the students at the nearby tables. “My dad and I moved here two years ago.”

“And my family moved there around the same time,” Rachel said, looking at Chloe in awe. “We must have barely missed each other. That’s hella wild.”

“Hella wild,” Chloe repeated, grinning. “You really are a Cali girl.”

“What, you thought I was lying?” Rachel challenged, bumping shoulders with her.

“No,” Chloe grunted, reciprocating the shoulder bump. “It’s just weird, I guess. I mean, the way we met--- and now we’re hanging out. Does this mean we’re friends?”

“Do you want us to be?” Rachel asked curiously.

“I’m…” Chloe started, poking her food with her fork. “I haven’t really bothered with the friendship thing since I left Arcadia Bay. My best friend--- ex-best friend, I guess… maybe you know her, actually. Max Caulfield, she goes to Blackwell.”

“Max ‘Never Maxine’ Caulfield?” Rachel said, and Chloe nodded. “I saw her around campus, but we never really talked. My… ex-friend Victoria, she used to pick on Max, so I didn’t really get the chance to know her.”

“Your friend sounds like a bitch,” Chloe muttered, and it was Rachel’s turn to nod.

“She could be, thus the ex-friend status. Well, among other things. So, what did Max do to earn her place in ex-dom?”

“It’s more of what she didn’t do,” Chloe said, frowning. “After I moved, I kept in touch with her. Emails, chat, texts, even went old fashioned and started sending her letters. But she was too busy, I guess, or just had better things to do in that artsy-fartsy school. I get it, kind of, but it would have been nice to have my best friend while I was trying to deal with what happened to my mom. It’s okay. I have Dad.”

“Your mom?” Rachel prompted, her tone gentle.

“Yeah, uh…” Chloe trailed off, clearing her throat. “My mom, she was was at the grocery store, and she called my dad to pick her up when--- there was this kid, this stupid, stupid kid, she tried to steal from her dealer, and then she ran into the store. Dealer caught up with her, had this knife, and my mom, she… she tried to…”

Rachel placed her hand on Chloe’s, quieting her.

“I’m so sorry. That… really sucks.”

Chloe smiled, endeared by the awkward but sincere condolence.

“Yeah, it does,” she agreed, looking at their joint hands, “but, you know, it’s like you said about assholes and Arcadia Bay. Bad enough what the fucker did to my mom, but it turns out he’d also been banging the kid he tried to kill. What the fuck, you know? She was 14.”

“What the fuck,” Rachel seconded, looking disgusted.

“Anyway,” Chloe went to say, “after what happened, my dad and I, we didn’t want to stay in that shithole anymore, so we left.”

“It was the right thing to do,” Rachel said, almost whispering, “there’s no reason to stay in a place like that.”

“What about you?” Chloe asked, meeting Rachel’s gaze. “What made you leave Arcadia Bay?”

Rachel laughed, stroking the back of Chloe’s hand.

“It’s a crazy story. Maybe I’ll tell you someday.”

Chloe huffed, but she was grinning.

“I tell you all about my tragic past, and that’s all you’re gonna give me?”

“What can I say, you gotta work for it, Price,” Rachel teased, again bumping shoulders with her. “If you want to find out, you have to stick around.”

Chloe laughed, returning the shoulder bump.

“Fuck it. I’m in.”

* * *

**June 2010**

“Rachel, when you told us we were going to study this weekend, you didn’t tell us we were going to do it in the fucking skatepark,” Juliet grumbled, glaring at a noisy group of skaters they passed.

“I enjoy the scenery,” Rachel remarked, eyes fixed on one particular skater at the ramps.

“I’ll bet,” Dana drawled, smirking as the object of Rachel’s interest finally noticed them, and skated over at full speed. “Hi, Chloe,” she greeted, nudging Juliet and getting a grunt of acknowledgment from the grumpy girl.

“Rachel!” Chloe exclaimed as she circled around the smiling blonde a few times before coming to a stop. “Hey, Dana, Juliet,” she then said, turning her grin their way, “Rachel told me you could use some help with Chem.”

“Yes,” Rachel answered for the pair, snatching the beanie off Chloe’s head. “Time to use that big brain of yours for science, Price. I personally vouched for your very effective tutoring methods, so do me proud.”

Chloe preened.

“You just want to show me off.”

Rachel smiled.

“Exactly.”

“She means Chem the subject, by the way,” Juliet quipped, and then pointed back and forth between them, “not… whatever this is that’s going on with two right now.”

“That is what I meant,” came Rachel’s innocent reply, which had Dana laughing.

“Mind if I finish playing SKATE with these guys first?” Chloe asked, nodding towards a couple of skaters at the ramps, who looked to be waiting for her. “Got 50 bucks on the line!”

Rachel glanced at the skaters, seeming to size them up, and then back at Chloe.

“Only if you buy me dinner with it,” she declared, brandishing the beanie like a trophy.

“You got it!” Chloe eagerly agreed, hurrying back to the skaters to finish the game.

When Chloe was out of earshot, Dana asked, “You think she knows she just agreed to go out with you?”

Before Rachel could answer, Juliet snorted.

“No.”

* * *

**March 2011**

Rachel closed the door behind her, taking care to be quiet. Finding the floor clear, she slipped into the bathroom, flicking the lights on and stepping in front of the mirror. Her hair, wet from a hasty shower, was a wild mess. Sighing, she did what she could to tame her golden mane, and proceeded to smooth out her shirt.

With one last look in the mirror, Rachel made her way to the living area, where she found William watching TV, a drink in hand and a sandwich in the other.

“Rachel,” he said, confused to see her, but he was quick to smile. “I thought you’d be… busy for a while.”

“William, I am so, so, so sorry,” she blurted out, making hapless, flailing motions with her hands. “I should have known you were planning to surprise Chloe, too. I should have made sure she locked the door, that dope--- I mean, I should have gone through the front door--- shit, shit, no, I should have told you what I was up to, so… so that you’d know… know that...” she rambled, her face turning red. “Shit.”

William chuckled, and Rachel looked ready to faint.

“Rachel,” he said, this time saying her name with warmth and affection. “Relax, okay? I’m not angry. Wishing I didn’t see what I saw, but not angry. You and Chloe have been in a relationship for... almost a year, is it?” he asked, patting the space next to him.

Head still bowed and face still red, Rachel took a seat on the couch next to her girlfriend’s father.

“It’ll be a year in three months,” she murmured, fiddling with her wrist, bare of the bracelet she had been wearing since she was born, the treasured possession now with the girl whom her heart also belonged to.

William touched her shoulder, and, finally, she looked up.

“That’s wonderful,” he told her, the smile he now wore sincere. “I’m happy for you both, and I hope that one year becomes many.”

Rachel turned redder, flustered for a different reason.

“Me, too,” she whispered like it was something she was admitting to herself.

“Where is Chloe, anyway?” William asked, looking around. “She didn’t come with you?”

Groaning at the unfortunate choice of words, Rachel promptly buried her face in her hands.

William blinked, and then his eyes widened in realization.

“Oh. Oh, shit. I’m so sorry, Rachel. I could have phrased that… less awkwardly.”

Despite the embarrassment, Rachel laughed.

“How are you so cool with this?” she asked, shaking her head. “My dad would have lost it if Chloe climbed into my window wearing nothing but a…” she trailed off, her mirth gone with a sharp exhale. “Right, like he’d fucking care,” she muttered, glaring at the random show William had been watching. “He doesn’t even give enough of a shit to call me after all this time.”

William squeezed her shoulder.

“Maybe he’s afraid of driving you further away, and he’s waiting for you to be ready to talk.”

Rachel scoffed.

“I don’t owe him a fucking thing.”

William nodded.

“No, you don’t.”

Rachel sighed, leaning on William and closing her eyes.

“Would you just… wait around for Chloe to call you, if you had done what my father did?”

Putting an arm around her, William hummed, considering the question.

“I don’t know what I’d do,” he admitted, the honesty making Rachel smile. “I just know that every day, I’d live in fear that, if I do try something, and I fuck it up, she would love me less, and less, and less, until she didn’t love me anymore. That would… destroy me, to know I’ve lost my daughter’s love. She’s my baby girl. She’s my world.”

“Chloe would forgive you,” Rachel said, and William chuckled. “She has such a big heart.”

“Lucky me.”

“And lucky me, too,” Rachel added, her gaze drawn to the door to Chloe’s room. “I should get back to her. I told her to stay put, said that the least I could do was have the nerve to face you without using her as a buffer.”

“Well, I appreciate the gallantry,” he quipped, regarding her with fondness, “and we, all of us, not just you and me, we are going to talk about this, but it can wait. It’s Chloe’s birthday, after all. Okay?”

“Okay,” Rachel agreed, allowing herself to linger in William’s embrace a little longer. When she got up, she noticed a small, wrapped box on the table, and after giving it a quick shake, she guessed, “Car keys? Chloe is going to lose her mind when she finds out she’s getting a ride.”

“Thank you,” William said, and as Rachel walked past him, he added, “it’s nothing like the ride you gave her, but I hope she likes it.”

Rachel, turning redder than her flannel, fled to Chloe’s room.

* * *

**May 2012**

Exhausted, Rachel collapsed on her bed, amid the whirlwind of toppled furniture, scattered personal effects, and shards of glass, pieces of a now broken full-length mirror.

On the bed with her, a crumpled page of paper lay, bearing words that had her gritting her teeth. Beside it was her phone, the screen displaying that she was one tap away from making a call.

“Rachel!” came a muffled cry from outside, followed by the sound of her window being opened. “Rachel, what the fuck, what did you do!”

Rachel sighed, and then turned to face her approaching girlfriend.

“Hey, babe,” she greeted airily as Chloe navigated through the collateral damage of her rage. “Sorry for the mess. I got pissed.”

“No shit,” Chloe growled, and despite the fury in her eyes and the edge in her voice, she was nothing but gentle when she began to check Rachel for injuries.

“I’m not hurt,” Rachel assured her girlfriend, taking Chloe’s hands in hers. “Not physically, anyway. My pride’s about to take a big hit in a few minutes, so I’m glad you’re here.”

Relieved to see she was telling the truth, Chloe flopped beside her. Rachel scooted into her girlfriend’s arms, her head tucked under Chloe’s chin, and she closed her eyes, enjoying her girlfriend’s warmth.

“Why are you about to call your dad?” Chloe wondered out loud, no doubt seeing her phone.

“Because the only way I’m going to college is if I ask for his help,” Rachel murmured, groaning at her own words. “Even with the scholarship, it’s too expensive. I could go somewhere else, but… I don’t want to do.”

“Even if it means talking to your dad when you’re not ready?” Chloe asked, which had her groaning again. “Well, good thing I’m here.”

“I know,” Rachel agreed, pressing a kiss to Chloe’s neck.

“I wasn’t talking about moral support, babe.”

The remark halting Rachel’s slow ascent for a proper kiss, she pulled away, looking at her grinning girlfriend quizzically.

“And what kind of support are we talking about?” she asked, narrowing her eyes when her girlfriend grinned even more.

“I talked to my dad, and we’re going to use my college fund on you.”

Rachel blinked.

“What?”

“You don’t have to call your dad!”

“No.”

“Yes!”

“Babe.”

“What?”

Rachel sighed.

“Chloe,” she said, taking her girlfriend’s face in her hands, “I think I’m even more in love with you now, but… no. I can’t accept this. It’s your college fund, babe. It’s your future.”

Chloe playful grin turned into a smile, one that made Rachel’s breath catch.

“Rachel Amber, you are my future.”

Disarmed, Rachel shook her head and laughed.

“Asshole,” she whispered, nothing but affection in her voice. “What about you? Your scholarship doesn’t cover everything, either.”

“Not gonna go,” Chloe said, and before Rachel could protest, she added, “for now. You first, then me, so I’m not throwing away my education for you, okay? And I’ve been talking to that agent, and he thinks I can make it big as a skater, told me I should try to go pro. So, I’m gonna do that while you’re off kicking Shakespeare’s ass---”

Rachel leaned in, silencing her girlfriend with a kiss.

“I love you. Thank you.”

“And I haven’t even offered to help you clean up yet.”

“Do you want to fuck before or after we do that?”

“Both.”

“Good answer.”

* * *

**July 2013**

“Hey, Rachel,” Steph greeted when she saw the blonde exit the dressing room. “Need a ride to the party? I just have to put these under lock and key,” she said, holding up the armful of props she had been carrying. “People care a lot less about public property than school property.”

“Unless they’re stealing it,” Rachel quipped, taking some things off Steph’s hands.

“Yeah, and when that happens, it’s my fault,” Steph grumbled.

“I can’t believe we couldn’t find anything better to do this summer,” Rachel remarked, sighing dramatically.

“You were amazing tonight, by the way,” Steph said as, finally, they were able to put away the props.

“Thank you,” Rachel answered, smiling radiantly.

After checking to see if the door was locked, Steph asked, “Ready to get out of here? I could use a drink after all the yelling I had to do tonight.”

“I hope you remembered to lock the pencils in there, too,” Rachel teased, both of them laughing. “And actually, I’m not going to the party. Chloe’s coming home tonight.”

“She is? That’s awesome!” Steph exclaimed, beaming. “She’s going to make it to your birthday. Congratulate her for me, for that and for winning.”

Rachel laughed.

“That’s the plan. Have fun at the party, Steph. Tell everyone I’m sorry I couldn’t make it.”

“You got it, Rachel. Be safe.”

With a wave, Rachel left. Steph was about to follow, but as she passed by a mannequin, a broken one that had been put there to be thrown out, she heard a loud, “Pst!”

Steph looked at the mannequin, where from behind emerged something lanky, tattooed, and blue.

“Chloe? What are you--- Rachel was just here saying--- what are you doing here?”

Chloe quickly signaled for Steph to be quiet, and then hurried to the door, making sure Rachel really was gone.

“I need a second opinion,” she told Steph, presenting a framed document. “What do you think? For a birthday gift. For Rachel. I was gonna get something else, but when I was looking out the window on the flight back, I thought--- fuck, is this a bad idea?”

Ignoring the nervous rambling, Steph began to read the words on the document.

“You had a star named after Rachel?”

“Yeah,” Chloe mumbled, rubbing the back of her neck. “I know it’s not official or anything, but she’s really into astrology, and she likes stars, and she wants to be a star, so I thought… ugh, should I have just gotten her a ring?”

Steph’s eyebrows rose.

“You’re proposing to Rachel with this?”

“What? No! What did I just say about a damn ring, Steph!” Chloe snapped, scoffing as she started to pace around. “I mean, no shit, I’m going to propose to her someday. Someday! She just moved in, and I’m always flying somewhere. It’d be better to wait until she’s done with school, but we don’t have to get married right away, don’t we? There’s no fucking deadline to an engagement, is there?”

“Chloe,” Steph called out, “can I ask why you even want my opinion on this? You’re aware you know her better than I do, right? Yeah, I went to Blackwell with her for two years, and we were both in the drama club, but you two have been together for, what, three years now? Why do you need to run a gift by me all of a sudden?”

Chloe looked down at the framed document in her hands, and then back at Steph.

“I just… with all the traveling I’ve been doing the past year, I feel like…” she trailed off, tracing the letters that spelled Rachel’s name in delicate cursive. “I feel like you know her better now, because you’re here, with her, and I’m... everywhere else. I mean, yeah, we talk every day, and she texts me when she can, and I text her when I can, and we try to say good morning and goodnight, timezones be fucked. She just texted me about that pencil thing, by the way. Here, look.”

Steph crossed her arms over her chest, not sparing a glance at the phone, instead watching Chloe’s face closely.

“Realizing how stupid you’re being now that you’ve said it out loud?”

Chloe stared at Steph, and then at her phone, and then back at Steph.

“I… yeah. I think so. Yeah. I am.”

“Chloe, Rachel’s crazy about you. You have to know that. She’s going to marry you someday,” Steph said, giving Chloe’s shoulder a squeeze. “And she’s going to love that you named a star after her. Now go home, give your girlfriend this sweet and thoughtful gift, and then give her what she wants most for her birthday. You.”

Slowly, Chloe grinned, and then she pulled Steph into a fierce hug.

“Thanks, dude. You’re a bonafide gay whisperer.”

Before Steph could protest the title bestowed upon her, Chloe was out the door.

* * *

**September 2013**

“Babe, come on, it’s our turn!”

Chloe laughed, letting her excited girlfriend pull her into the photo booth. Rachel nearly threw her on the bench, and then joined her shortly after.

“Okay, what do we do first?” she asked, turning to her girlfriend, who smirked and kissed her.

Click.

“Gonna be like that, huh?” she murmured, breathless from the short but passionate kiss.

Rachel winked, and then straddled her.

“You have no idea,” came the husky whisper against her ear.

“Whoa, babe,” Chloe stammered, shuddering, “don’t know if this is the best place for a quickie.”

“So cute,” Rachel cooed at her, and in a blink, slipped free from her arms.

Click.

“Ack!” Chloe squawked, blinded by the flash.

When her vision cleared, she looked down, and there was Rachel, on her knees, holding out a ring, the same one that her father had given to her mother when he proposed.

“Marry me,” her girlfriend simply said.

Click.

“Are you seriously proposing to me in an old, crappy photo booth?” Chloe asked, her face already hurting from how much she was smiling.

“Yes,” Rachel affirmed, smiling back.

Laughing, Chloe pulled her girlfriend back up, and then kissed her.

“That’s my line.”

Click.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a prelude to a multi-chapter story that will further explore the AU. That one won't be posted until it's done, so I figure I'd put this up since it could stand alone. 
> 
> I've recently started being active on [tumblr](https://twoshots-eggrolls.tumblr.com)! I will probably end up making gifs of the entire game at the rate I'm going.


End file.
